I dropped my head to the table, my anger fizzling into dismay. “Why is he back?” I groaned.
“Um, did you forget his grandpa lives here?”
“No,” I said grudgingly. I just didn’t like to think about the fact that Mr. Jenkins was related to Chayton at all.
“And you like Mr. Jenkins.”
“Because Mr. Jenkins isn’t anything like Chayton!” I looked up at Zari and frowned. “Irritating, show-off, know-it-all—”
“Generosity of spirit, Dace,” Mom interjected, coming over. “What’s this about now?”
“Good news for Bonnet, actually, Miss Edie,” Zari chirped. “Do you remember Julip Freedell?” Mom nodded, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Chayton’s mom was now famous as the host of the über-popular cooking and lifestyle show Prairie Living. Julip traveled all over Texas scouting for obscure craft ideas, antiques, and recipes.
“I just saw Mrs. Freedell at the middle school,” Zari explained. “She was registering Chayton for classes. She’s come back to Bonnet to film a special ‘Homecoming’ episode of her show. It’s going to feature the Bonnet County Fair and pie-eating contest!”
“Well.” If it were possible for Mom to look even cheerier than usual (which was a tall order, believe me), she did. “I’d call that news better than good. Julip’s show might breathe some life back into Bonnet, and bring in some fresh customers.”
“And save us from boredom,” Zari put in. “Newcomers mean intrigue and scandals and—”
“Trouble,” I grumbled.
Zari shook her head at me. “It’ll be fine. You’ll hardly notice Chayton’s back at all.”
All I could picture was my ten-year-old self, covered head to toe in huckleberry pie. I cringed. Hardly notice the return of my archnemesis? Not a chance.
Suzanne Nelson has written several children’s books, including Cake Pop Crush, You’re Bacon Me Crazy, Macarons at Midnight, Hot Cocoa Hearts, Donut Go Breaking My Heart, Sundae My Prince Will Come, I Only Have Pies For You, and Shake It Off. She lives with her family in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where she can also be found experimenting with all kinds of cooking. Learn more about Suzanne at suzannenelson.com, or follow her on Twitter at @snelsonbooks or on Instagram at @suzannenelsonbooks.
Also by Suzanne Nelson
Cake Pop Crush
You’re Bacon Me Crazy
Macarons at Midnight
Hot Cocoa Hearts
Donut Go Breaking My Heart
Sundae My Prince Will Come
I Only Have Pies for You
Shake It Off
Serendipity’s Footsteps
A Tale Magnolious
Homeschooled Amelia can’t wait to start regular school for the first time … but the transition is much harder than she imagined. Everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her hobbies. So when Amelia starts to volunteer at an alpaca ranch, she’s overjoyed to be doing something she’s good at—taking care of animals. But when the alpacas are put in mortal peril, can Amelia save the only place that’s ever felt like home?
Since Lety’s first language is Spanish, she loves volunteering at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter, where the pets don’t care if she can’t find the right word. When the shelter needs someone to write animal profiles, Lety jumps at the chance. Grumpy classmate Hunter also wants to write profiles, so he devises a secret competition between them. But if the shelter finds out about the contest, will Lety be allowed to adopt her favorite dog?
Copyright © 2020 by Suzanne Nelson
All photos © Shutterstock.com
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Nelson, Suzanne, 1976- author.
Title: Pumpkin spice up your life / Suzanne Nelson.
Description: New York : Scholastic Inc., 2020. | Audience: Ages 8-12. |
Audience: Grades 4-6. | Summary: When her best friend Daniel concocts an elaborate plot to ask the new girl at school to the fall dance, Nadine realizes she has fallen for Daniel herself but fears she does not have the courage to tell him how she feels. Includes recipes.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020014132 | ISBN 9781338640489 (paperback) | ISBN 9781338640496 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Coffeehouses—Fiction. | Best friends—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Dating (Social customs)—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.N43765 Pu 2020 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020014132
First printing 2020
Cover photos © Shutterstock.com
Cover design by Jennifer Rinaldi and Yaffa Jaskoll
e-ISBN 978-1-338-64049-6
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
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